Soldier's Mom Says Deadbeat Dad Shouldn't Get Death Benefits

Milan, IL-Should the biological father of a soldier killed in the line of duty receive death benefits even though he never met his daughter?

Sgt. Jessica Housby of Rock Island was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in February. The unmarried 23 year old was raised by her mother and step-father.

But the state contacted her biological father Tony Holbrook in his prison cell in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and informed him that as the biological father of Jessica, he was entitled to survivor's benefits, and is in line to receive more than 137- thousand dollars in the coming weeks.

She just didn't want the man who didn't stand by her to have it.

Let's just say that there are events that transpired over twenty years ago that may vindicate the dad. This mom wouldn't be the first to deny a father his child and then berate the dad in public for "never seeing his daughter". It's a power thing.

It was the government agency in Illinois that made the final determination which suggests there may have been some lack of clarity as to how she filled out the form combined with the unique circumstances of her life.

Since he was not on her birth certificate or on government rolls of deadbeat dads, it's pretty hard to determine how anyone found out he was the father if the soldier didn't identify him herself on the benefits form.

Calling the mom greedy is a cheap shot. We don't know her heart. Maybe you can read hearts. I can't. The mom didn't act on tv like it was about getting more money for herself. She just didn't want the man who didn't stand by her to have it.

Again, you don't know more of the facts than I do. But one thing is for certain: if the father can be excluded, then mommy will get twice as much money, won't she?

No, I don't like the result because it rewards irresponsible behavior in this situation. I'll live with it. Life isn't fair.

Fair is what the dead vet thinks is fair. Even if you don't happen to like it.

What do you care for anyway? It didn't happen to somebody on your local news, and you didn't see the report on tv.

Oh, so you watched a local news program and that entitles you to more opinion than anyone else? It entitles you to want to overturn the expressed will of a dead veteran?

Glad I understand that the dead vet and everyone else is irrelevant because you happened to watch a local TV piece.

Wow, first you state "maybe the step father molested her..." then "supporting some greedy mom..." talk about not knowing any of the story, and making some pretty wild accusations. Any thing else you want to throw out there about the parent's that raised her well enough to think the Army is an honorable option?

first you state "maybe the step father molested her..."

I was trying to suggest some reason why she might have had a grudge against her mother and her mother's current husband. Maybe they opposed her going in the military and prison-dad supported her (in the one phone call they ever had).

then "supporting some greedy mom..."

For all the things we don't know in this case, one thing that seems pretty certain is that if mom can prevail against the legal disbursement the soldier specified, she'll get the all the money. So she isn't without financial motive whether you want to complain about someone pointing it out or not.

Well for all the things you don't know, what might she do with that money? Start a scholarship? Give it to charity? Start a foundation for other wounded soldiers? I mean if we're going to imagine things, let's imagine some positive too, not just assume the worst.

Okay. But I doubt she would because if her daughter's intent was to support such organizations, then she would have left the money to those organizations herself.

Anyway, it's difficult to carry such arguments very far given the lack of facts. In the end, the info we have is that she did designate her dad explicitly to receive half the benefits. And her mom and some others don't like it. But it doesn't mean that mom doesn't have over a hundred thousand incidental motives here in her quest for justice.

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